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The holidays are coming!

*rings bell*

Crowds of people run screaming down snow-covered streets.

It happens every year, and yet every year we feel as though we’re blind sighted, attacked by an unexpected intruder. So much preparation: the shopping, the cooking, the envelope-licking. Well guess what? Dental insurance providers are taking advantage of your self-induced insanity to slip out of the back door unnoticed.

We’re on to you dental insurance! And we won’t be fooled.

*Petrificus Totalus*

(Dang. Still working on our spell-casting skills.)

Here’s why we’re adding dental appointments to our list of holiday to-dos: Continue reading The Amazing, Disappearing Dental Insurance Benefits!

Fluoride is a tooth’s best friend, and today, we know a lot about how this essential mineral works to strengthen our smiles. Kids and adults alike benefit from the positive effects of fluoride treatments, so much so that it is present in our toothpaste, dental rinses, and even our water supply. As a matter of fact, it’s so common for cities to fluoridate their water, most of us don’t even think about it. But just when and where did this helpful practice start?

In the 1930’s, we began to discover the oral health benefits of fluoride and how it could prevent tooth decay. City governments started discussing the possibility of adding fluoride to the drinking water supply as a way to provide entire populations with safe, effective doses of the mineral. Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first metropolitan area to offer fluoridated water to its residents in 1945. After studying the program for nearly six years, researchers found a striking reduction in cavities for Grand Rapids children. Today, more than 72% of the U.S. population is served by fluoridated water systems. Continue reading It Must Be In the Water!

We all know that kids, candy, and cavities go hand in hand. As parents, we do our best to keep their little fingers in the fruit crisper and out of the cookie jar. For most of the year, it’s controllable. Well, except for birthday parties (seriously, how many can you attend in a week?), but overall, you are able to stop the kiddos from gobbling down loads of chocolate, gummy bears, and bubble gum. And then comes Halloween.

‘Tis the holiday for obnoxious amounts of candy gathered during Trick-or-Treating adventures. The kitchen table becomes the bargaining table and there is a collective negotiation across the land. Kids everywhere lobby for the ability to consume armfuls of candy while parents are packing it up to save for later. Even with a generous lot of sugar doled out every night after Halloween, somehow, the bounty lasts all the way through Christmas. You can’t throw it out, that’s just wasteful. Not to mention if the kids find out, their attitude is going to match the Frankenstein costume they’re wearing. There must be something better to do with all that extra candy, right? In a word, yes. Continue reading Donated Candy Becomes a Sweet Surprise!

Tooth loss is nothing new. If you’ve ever had any caveman friends, then you know that it’s been a common problem since… well since cavemen. It’s no surprise then that Homo sapiens (and maybe a few chimps – I wouldn’t put it past them) across the globe have been searching for the ideal tooth-replacement solution for ages. What might surprise you, though, is Pygmy Pterodactyls! Just kidding. But seriously, it might surprise you to learn that our very own modern marvel – dental implants – have actually been cooking in the minds of ancient peoples for quite some time, quite indeed.

Implants as we know them began with the famous  scientist Per-Ingvar Brånemark. He discovered, rather incidentally, that bone tissue would fuse to titanium when he replaced a rabbit’s femur with a titanium rod. Dr. Brånemark applied his hare-brained scheme to dentistry, and in 1965, the first dental implant replaced the first tooth in a living human skull. Or so we thought. Continue reading Dental Implants – A Modern Marvel?

So maybe you’re not expecting that question from your little tyke anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be fully prepared to regale your children with tales of that generous sprite known as the tooth fairy. The legend itself has some quirky origins, preceded and followed by arguably stranger ideas about the inherent power of teeth and the importance of mice.

Here are just a few of the superstitions and myths that have swirled around the topic of teeth and the tooth fairy…

• At a time when belief in witches and their dark powers was rampant, people were especially keen on proper tooth disposal. After all, witches and the like could use them as talismans or to send curses your way. Depending on the culture, you might have thrown the tooth toward the sun, over the roof, fed it to an animal (a mouse was the most popular choice), or buried it, hidden it, or swallowed it yourself (eek!). Continue reading Mom, Where Did the Tooth Fairy Come From?

We know school’s back in session, and in addition to your already-full work schedule, you now have to plan meals, arrange car pools, sharpen pencils, and still find time for your sparkle-madness, hip-hop dance routine. Trust us, we know. But, as you can tell by the three (three!) exclamation points that follow the title of this article, we mean business. It’s time to bite the bullet, face the music, meet your maker… well not quite time for that… but seriously, flossing is serious.

If you choose not to floss, and we all know you do (studies show that 73% of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss – grocery shopping! FOR SHAME!), here’s what happens inside your mouth: Continue reading FLOSS!!!

Ideally, you’d never procrastinate in doing responsible, grown-up things.

But we’re all guilty of it.

For some, it’s finances: “I’ll do my taxes next week!”
Or housework: “Those dirty dishes can soak in the sink for a while.”
Or even shopping: “I’ll just take a package of ramen noodles to work for lunch…”

All kinds of things get pushed aside on our daily to-do lists because we’d rather not tackle them now. But when it comes to your dental healthcare, procrastinating is ill advised. Sure, your time is precious, but your health is irreplaceable. And though many people don’t realize there are benefits to their wallet associated with dental visits, there are many. Yes, dental treatment can help your family budget’s bottom line!

How is that possible, you ask? How can spending money actually save you money? Well, consider preventive maintenance on your teeth like the regular tune-ups and oil changes you get for your car. You rotate the tires so they wear evenly, and replace the air filter when it gets grungy. All so your transportation keeps transporting you where you need to go, and you don’t have to pay big bucks to replace a part that could have been protected with preventive measures.

You know where this logic leads, and why it’s even more important to pay attention to your smile than your car. Your teeth need that same attention to keep doing what they do so well. Without it, the chances of developing a serious problem are much higher. Gum disease, tooth decay, and oral cancer are all conditions your family’s dentist will check for during a routine exam. If you’re not keeping appointments on a regular basis, a problem could be developing and you’d never know. At least, not until you experience a symptom that signals there’s a problem—and by then, the issue has progressed far beyond what your dentist or hygienist could catch in a simple exam.

A cavity or signs of disease are much easier and cost effective to treat in the early stages, so don’t delay your dental visit any longer. Put off shopping for a bathing suit, but don’t put off caring for your smile!

Wondering what to expect during your dental visit? Click here for some helpful info.

Good Dental Habits Have a Trickle Down Effect in the Family

Every parent remembers the moment when their baby, their pride and joy, became just a little too old for that goodbye kiss on the cheek or other

overt display of affection. At that moment, you may have felt that your parental sway had forever diminished. But a recent study from the Journal

of Dental Research reaffirms the influence that parents have in affecting the habits of their children. It found that the oral health of a child’s parents, particularly his or her mother, is highly indicative of that child’s own oral health condition.

If a mother has tooth decay, the study states, then her child is twice as likely as other children to have cavities. Just

one more reason for you, as a parent, to schedule those twice-yearly cleanings and checkups at your family dentist’s office. The example you set for your children will yield benefits for you and for them. Though their baby teeth are only a precursor to their adult smile, keeping those teeth well-cared for is important so they maintain adequate space and prepare properly for the full-sized teeth to come. Continue reading With Parental Power Comes Great Responsibility